Dear colleagues,

I am looking for someone with experience and advice concerning NIH's foreign appointment documentation as described in NOT-OD-21-073. Per NIH's FAQ (D.3), we are required to submit this documentation as of May 25, 2021, regardless of the Other Support form version used.

I recently submitted documentation in an RPPR for a Co-I's honorary research appointment at a foreign university. NIH rejected our document and referenced NOT-OD-21-073. However, the Grant Management Specialist did not state in what ways the document we provided did not meet NIH's requirements. We have requested clarification about what is required, and are still waiting to hear back.

In this specific case, as an honorary research professor appointment, there was no original contract. The Co-I did have a letter from the foreign university, which was submitted with the RPPR, containing the following:

Institutional letterhead
Date
Co-I's name
Co-I's title as honorary professor
Department that granted this appointment
Start and end dates of this appointment
HR signature and contact info

I'm trying to figure out what information might be missing. I think we could add that this is an unpaid position; "honorary" may not be clear enough. We could add a role description, but we don't know what is required. As to the Other Support, it is clearly documented that none of the Co-I's support is from the foreign institution.

Does anyone know what information is required?

Marinda Bland (she/her)

Research Administrator

Department of Psychiatry

University of Minnesota Medical School

2450 Riverside Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55454

E-mail: xxxxxx@umn.edu

I acknowledge that the University of Minnesota stands on Miní Sóta Makhóčhe, the homelands of the Dakhóta Oyáte.